The Silver Silence
by Lady of the Shards
Summary: 13 orphans and a tragedy. Cursed, they wander the region. Join them as they try to figure out how to break their various curses. As they learn to trust others again. (Was Rated M to be safe, because the tragedy is tragic, but I think that it is more of a T rating.)
1. Prologue

**Prologue:**

**The Tragedy**

SHE stood over HIS lifeless body, screaming at HIM. "YOU BASTARD! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO ONE OF THE CHILDREN! YOU F-!"

Once SHE ran out of breathe SHE turned to the girl, who clutched what little of her clothing remained closer to her, fear staining her eyes.

"You poor child." SHE murmurs, gently touching her face. "You poor, poor thing. Don't worry. I'll make it better."

SHE stands and walks over to THEIR dresser. SHE removed the poke ball holding HER one pokemon from its place there. SHE released HER Gengar and removed one of HER dressing gowns and covers the girl's trembling body.

"It's alright Virgo. I'll make it better." SHE smiled sadly at Virgo, as the girl's trembling turned into violent shakes racking her thin body. "I'll curse you."

Virgo froze, tears pouring from her eyes and streaming down her face.

"Oh. Don't cry. Don't cry." SHE gently cradled the frozen girl to HER chest. "Soon, you won't feel what remains of HIS touch. I curse you Virgo. So that you will not be able to feel another's touch. So that the pain filling you now will never fill you again. I curse you, my most beautiful child."

A gentle hand stoked her cheek.

"I curse you."

And she felt no more.

**xXxXx**

SHE closed the door to the room where HIS body resided and saw them. They were tied up and positioned with a view of what had happened in the room. Of what HE had done to Virgo.

"Oh my poor dears. You shouldn't have had to see that." HER voice was soft, sending shivers down their backs. "I won't let you two see anything like that again." The smile that spread across HER face made them want to run, but they were still bound tight. "I'll curse the both of you. So that your eyes will never see the light again. So that this sight will forever be forbidden from you. I curse you, Libra. I curse you, Aquarius. I curse you, my wisest children."

A hand brushed softly across their eyes.

"I curse you."

And their sight vanished.

**xXxXx**

HER ears caught the sound of quiet sobbing. SHE found the source in the room next to where HE lay. The small boy sobbed in the farthest part of the room.

"My child. It's alright. You heard it all, didn't you?" SHE knelt in front of him, drawing him into a gentle embrace. The sobs racked his small body. "The sounds are gone now. And I'll make it so they can never return. I'll curse you. So that no more sounds can torture you. So that silence is all you hear. I curse you, Gemini. I curse you, my smallest boy."

Hands covered his ears.

"I curse you."

And his world fell silent.

**xXxXx**

A door opened and the three entering boys clutched their noses. SHE came around the corner, Gengar floating behind her shoulder.

"Children. Are you alright? Do you smell something bad?" HER eyes radiated worry, but still SHE sent chills down their backs. "Don't worry. I'll make the smell go away. I'll make it go away forever. I'll curse you. So that you will never have to smell this horrid scent again. So that no scent can fill you with this dread. I curse you, Taurus. I curse you, Leo. I curse you, Scorpio. I curse you, my strongest boys."

A hand touched each of their noses.

"I curse you."

And the scents of the world faded.

**xXxXx**

A dull thud reverberated throughout the house, originating from the room where SHE had left HIM. SHE quickly made her way back there. A girl was sprawled on the floor next to HIM, rejecting all she had eaten.

"My sweet girl, are you alright? Did you trip and fall? Oh my, did you get some of that filth in your mouth?" SHE held back the girl's hair and gently wiped her forehead. The fear the child felt chilled her to the bone. "I'll make it all better. I'll curse you. So that the disgusting taste will disappear. So that never again will you taste something bad. I curse you, Capricorn. I curse you, my young one."

A hand brushed softly against her lips.

"I curse you."

And all sense of taste left.

**xXxXx**

Light singing was heard nearing the next room. SHE went to the little girl and stopped her from going through the open door.

"You're my precious girl Polaris. My special little song bird. No one else should hear that voice." HER voice was deranged, causing the little girl quickly try to get away. SHE held her face gently but firmly, smiling softly at the young child. "I won't let anyone else hear it. I'll curse you! So that you will never be able to sing. So that your voice will forever be silent! I curse you, Polaris."

A gentle hand stroked her throat.

"I curse you."

And her voice disappeared.

**xXxXx**

A Rapidash entered through a door made especially for it. It was HIS. When it saw HIM, saw what SHE had done, it went mad. Not caring about the children that resided in the halls of the orphanage. Its mane and tail lashed about, throwing fire into every corner of the room.

It went searching for HER. It had to make HER pay. Pay for what SHE had done to HIM. It left the room, ignoring the two girls that lay next to HIM.

The embers and sparks that flew from its tail lit the ropes binding the two girls just outside the room, freeing and burning their unconscious forms. It did not notice them at all.

It did not notice the three still boys either. It was only concerned with hunting HER down. It passed the room where a girl was laid next to a boy. It did not see them.

Where had SHE gone? It was blind and numb to all else. It did not realize that with each step, its flames spread and began to eat away the house that HE had built. Built to shelter the very children it was ignoring.

It did not care. It had finally found HER. SHE was sitting, looking out the front window-out into the yard that HE had cared so much for. It lost control. Flames leapt from its form as it charged HER, intent on its revenge. As its hooves flew, striking HER across the head, it lost all sense of sanity.

In the end, it burned up along with HER. Burned to ash by its own flames.

**xXxXx**

"Sagittarius! Sagittarius!" A young boy came barreling up the path, nearly colliding with the young man.

"Whoa, slow down there Pisces! Where's the fire?" The young man, Sagittarius, just barely caught Pisces before the boy caused them both to fall.

A girl- Aries- the same age as Pisces, and a boy- Cancer- just a few years older than them, walked over to see what was going on.

Pisces, having caught his breathe a little, managed to gasp out, "That's just it. The house-" A few moments of desperate gasps. "The house is on fire!"

The four of them went racing back down the path, rushing to the house.

The sight that greeted them froze them in their tracks for a moment, before they are off again. The flames were beginning to lick up the sides of the large house.

They rushed into the house, searching for the other children that they knew were there.

Aries opened one door and promptly had to close it again, barely keeping her stomach contents down at the sight. With watering eyes she opened other doors, closing the doors again until she found the room where Gemini and Polaris lay unconscious. She quickly pulled the small bodies to the window and climbed out with them.

Pisces had rushed through another door and tripped over three boys. He quickly started to pull them out of the house, getting them as far away as he could.

Cancer and Sagittarius had entered through the door made especially for HIS pokemon. They saw HIS body, but were more concerned with getting the two girls that lay there unconscious. As Cancer grabbed Capricorn's limp form, Sagittarius went to grab Virgo. As he reached her, he noticed the two collapsed just across the hall with burns covering their arms.

"Cancer! Get Capricorn out, then grab Virgo! I see two more!" Sagittarius tossed over his shoulder as he dashed to the still forms.

Once they had gotten the girls out of immediate danger, Sagittarius ran back in to do a final check.

He pushed several doors open, barely glancing in before rushing to the next one. The sights inside drove him on. He reached the front living room and vaguely saw the forms of HER and THEIR pokemon, burning hotly. He quickly moved on, rushing up the stairs.

What greeted him when he opened the nearest door was more gruesome than all the rest.

As he fought to keep his stomach under control, a voice called weakly from the room on the other side of the hall. Its door was open, giving the occupant a clear view of him.

"Saj..."

He whipped around and quickly ran in. "Ursa! Don't worry, I'll-"

"Don't...not gonna... you...get out." The young woman weakly stopped him, with full knowledge that she wouldn't be lasting much longer. She tried to hand him something, but her hand barely moved. "Give...Ris..."

With that, she was gone.

Barely able to keep his emotions from overwhelming him, Sagittarius grabbed what she had tried to hand him and ran as fast as he could out of the house.

Once he reached where all the other children were sheltering safe distance away, he turned and looked back.

The flames were greedily gobbling up the rest of the house now. The smoke rising thickly into the sky.

Shouts were heard from the path that led to town. The townspeople came rushing up, using their Water-types to attempt to put the fire out. Several saw the children and came running over to check on them. They gave some emergency treatment to the burns that all of the children now bore.

The four children who were not unconscious all silently wished for the house to continue to burn. So the tragedy the now resided in its walls would not have to be seen by others. So that the other children could be released.

They wished for the house to burn.

**xXxXx**

**The Awakening**

She slowly opened her eyes; an odd feeling resided in her body. She blinked up at the unfamiliar ceiling for a little while.

"Vir, you awake?" A voice rose quietly from next to her.

Startled, she tried to jerk away from it.

"Vir! Calm down! It's just me." Sagittarius moved into her line of view and she relaxed. He gently reached out and tucked some of her hair behind her ear. "You okay Vir?"

Confusion bloomed on her features. "Virgo?"

She looked down and saw that he was holding her hand in one of his. "Saj. I can't feel you hand. I couldn't feel it when you touched my hair either."

He face grew serious. "What can you feel? Anything?"

"No." Panic was growing quickly in the young teenager. "I can't feel anything. What's going on, Saj?" She glanced frantically around the room. "Where are we?"

"Calm down. We're at the hospital. The house caught fire. Do you remember what happened at all?"

"Bits and pieces, but nothing clearly." She watched his face as conflicting emotions played across it.

Before he could say anything else, a quiet groan emanated from the other side of Virgo. He quickly made his way over to the next bed.

"Hey Rico. You feeling okay?" He helped the preteen to sit up as he asked.

"Saj? Where the heck are we? And why does my leg hurt so much?"

The relief that she was able feel things spread across Virgo's face and flashed across Saj's as he replied. "We're at the hospital. The orphanage caught fire. Do you remember anything?"

Capricorn made a face as she racked her memory. "No. Not really."

"What's going on Saj?" Virgo asked; worry worming its way into the panic that had settled into her heart.

"Saj! Saj! Riu just woke up!" A young boy came barreling into the room, catching the door frame to slow himself down.

"That's great-Pise, what's wrong?" Saj went and crouched in front of the boy, clasping his shoulder.

Pisces looked into his eyes. "She can't see."

**xXxXx**

Sagittarius aided Virgo into the room while Pisces did the same with Capricorn.

"W-who's there?" Aquarius's voice quavered as she called out.

"Saj, Vir, Rico and me, Sis." Pisces quickly settled Rico into a chair and went to his big sister's side, grabbing her hand.

Once Virgo had also been settled into a chair, Saj went over to the bed as well. "Riu, you can't see a thing?"

"No!" A panicked sob filled her voice. "Saj, I'm scared."

He sat on the edge of the bed and gave her a one-armed hug, the sadness in his eyes growing when she flinches at the contact. "Just me, Riu." He gave her some quiet comfort for a few minutes. "Riu, do you remember anything that happened?"

"Pise mentioned that the house caught fire, but I don't remember that and what I do remember..."She trailed off, tears making crystal tracks down her cheeks.

The five sat in silence for about half an hour, going over the bits and pieces of what they knew had happened. They all turned towards the door when they heard voices and footsteps coming down the hall.

Saj stood up and went to the door. Leaning out, he looked to see who it was. "Aries, Taurus, Leo, will the three of you quiet down. There are other people besides you here."

The three turned and saw him, quickly coming over. When Leo spotted his younger sister, Virgo, he ran over to check on her.

"Vir, are you okay?" He asked, kneeling on the floor in front of her, softly cupping her cheek.

"Leo..." Virgo said before almost breaking down. She quickly tried to get herself under control, turning to Saj and attempting to distract herself. "Do we know where Gem and Ris are? They're okay, right?"

He had returned to sit by Riu and everyone turning towards him in anticipation of his answer. He gives them all a tired smile. "As far as I know the only injuries they have are some light burns, same as Libra. Last time I checked on the three of them, they were still unconscious." He glanced at Aries. "My guess is that Scorpio and Cancer went to visit them?"

The quiet girl gave a little nod. "I thought that maybe the rest of us could go see them?"

Saj's smile grew a little less tired. He turned to Virgo, Capricorn and Aquarius. "The three of you up to walking? You all have burns on your legs."

Rico glanced at the other two. "I think we'll need help but we should be able to make it."

Carefully, the group made its way to where the rest of the surviving children were. As they walked, Saj asked how Taurus and Leo were.

Taurus gave a weary smile. "We just seem to have a few burns."

Just then, the group passed an area of the hospital that had been recently cleaned.

"Ugh. The smell of antiseptic is so strong." Aries clutched her nose. "Rus, how can you stand it?"

Rus turned to his little sister. "What are you talking about? What smell?"

Saj's expression turned dark and worried. "Leo, do you smell anything?"

The other boy took a few sniffs and shrugged his shoulders. "Nope. I can't smell anything."

"Neither could Scorp." A voice came from further down the hall. Cancer stood there with a slight smile on his young face. "Good timing, I was just going to get you. Li, Gem and Ris seem to be starting to wake up."

The group began to hurry down the hall, but Saj held back a bit trying to work something out.

"Saj?" Cancer called to the oldest of the group.

Sagittarius jumped a bit when he heard his name called, before sending a smile the other's way. "Sorry, Ans. Just a bit lost in my thoughts."

**xXxXx**

When they reached the room, they saw Libra stirring on her hospital bed. On the bed next to her lay her two younger siblings. Polaris was still barely stirring while her twin brother Gemini was sitting up.

The youngest boy of all the children was looking at Scorpio in utter confusion as the older boy tried to ask him how he was. When Gem cupped his hands over his ears, everyone realized what was wrong.

Cancer pulled out the sketchbook he always had on him and wrote something down before handing it to Gemini. _**Can you hear anything?**_

The boy read what had been written and frantically shook his head.

"Gem...Ris..." Libra's voice rose softly from her bed, but unlike every other time that she had ever spoken in Gem's presence, the boy didn't react. That proved to the rest that he could hear nothing. Suddenly, Libra was sitting up straight in her bed. "Gem! Ris! Where...What's going on?"

The sudden movement of his big sister caught his attention and he reached across the small gap between the beds and grabbed her hand.

When her hand jerked away from him, his face became absolutely terrified. Libra never jerked away from her younger siblings.

Before anyone else could speak, Saj sat down on the edge of Libra's bed. "Libra...You can't see anything, can you?"

"Saj?" Libra's hand reached out in front of her, searching.

"Right here. The one who grabbed your hand before was Gem."

"Ohmygosh. Gem, I'm so sorry! I- I didn't-!" She panicked, trying to find the hand she had rejected earlier.

Gem quickly grabbed her hand again, obviously relieved when his was given a warm squeeze. He looked to Saj in hopes of finding out what was wrong with her.

Saj gestured to get the sketchbook and once he did, he only wrote one simple sentence on it before showing it to Gemini.

_**She's blind.**_

"Um, Saj?" Aries quietly spoke up. "How is Li going to communicate with Gem if she's blind?"

"Ari, what do you mean? Gem can hear me can't he? And where's Ris?" Libra's grip on Saj's hand was just shy of being painful.

"Please calm down, Li. Ris is asleep next to Gem." Saj gave her hand as comforting a squeeze as he could. "And Gem... Gem's can't hear anything. I'm... I'm worried that Ris might not be able to either when she wakes up."

Libra's grip on Saj's hand slackened in her shock.

**xXxXx**

Around an hour later, everyone's positions had shifted as they waited for the youngest child to awaken. Most of the boys were leaning against one of the walls. Aquarius and Libra were settled on Libra's bed with Aries nearby, while Virgo sat in one of the chairs with Leo standing right next to her, having finally found out what was wrong with her. Gem was lying next to his twin, clutching her hand. Sagittarius sat in the chair right next to their bed, gently rolling something in his hands.

Light hazel eyes slowly blinked open as the small girl slowly woke up. As soon as her hand twitched, Gem was sitting up looking down at her worriedly.

When Gem moved, Saj looked over at the girl. "Hey. Ris, can you hear me?"

At her slow nod, everyone who could see relaxed. When Aries let out a quiet 'thank goodness', Riu and Li also relaxed.

Polaris looked around at everyone sleepily and Sagittarius couldn't help but smile. The girl had always had trouble waking up.

He clenched what he had been rolling in his hands gently, then held it out to Ris. "I was told to give you this."

Suddenly, she was wide awake, slowly shaking her head in disbelief. As the others realized what he was holding, they began to break down.

"That's...Ursa's...But she was supposed to be out!" Aries cried.

Libra was the only one besides Saj that seemed calm. "She was planning a surprise party for Gemini and Polaris. That's why she was home-at the house."

"Libra and I were the only ones she said was allowed to know. We were helping her set things up." Aquarius gave a sad smile through her tears.

Polaris gently took the poke ball from Saj's hand. Inside it was a young Teddiursa.

"His name is Kokab. After the second star in the Ursa Minor constellation. The constellation that has Polaris as its first star. His ability is Pickup. Ursa and I went out to get him and one other pokemon the other day. Ursa ended up catching two Teddiursa, one for you and one for her. Her's was named Alruccabah, after the first star in the Ursa Major constellation. She wanted to be able to train them together with you. I...haven't figured out what to do with Alruccabah." Saj writes everything he says down so that Gem can understand what is going on. He turns to a new page with one hand while the other pulls another poke ball out of his pocket. "This is Castor, a Bidoof named after the first star in the Gemini constellation. We caught him for Gemini. His ability is Simple. They are for your birthday, but I think you should have them now."

Gemini finished reading the writing and took the poke ball, holding it close to his chest as tears fell down his face.

Saj tilted Ris's face up so that he could look her in the eye. "You okay, kiddo?"

Polaris opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Her eyes opened wide and it was obvious that she was trying again. All that came out was a fit of coughs that racked her small frame. When she brought her hand away from her mouth after the fit passed, it was covered in blood.

**xXxXx**

The doctor looked her over, and everyone seemed utterly confused by the fact that Polaris was completely healthy.

As a nurse resettled Ris in the room, some police officers came in to talk to them about what had happened at the orphanage.

"Hello, I'm Officer Thompson and this is my partner, Officer Williams. We came to get your statements on what happened." The older of the two stated as he pulled out a notepad. Cancer took the sketchbook and began writing down what was being said for Gemini. After thinking a moment, he also took two sheets and gave them to the twins so that they would be able to say their piece. Officer Thompson turned to Capricorn. "Why don't we get your statement first?"

She grabbed one of the snacks that Pisces had run and gotten while Ris was being checked out. As she opened it, she shrugged. "I don't remember much, it's all kinda foggy."

She started to eat the pudding as the officers went through each of the children, trying to get something out of them but only getting different versions of 'I don't remember'. It was Polaris that noticed something was off with Capricorn.

_**Rico? What's wrong?**_ Ris ended up having to slap the table to get Rico's attention, and with it she got everyone else's.

"Huh?" She looked up and saw what Ris had written. "Oh, it just...I can't taste anything. SHE really did..."

"Who really did what?" Officer Williams was getting angry at the lack of answers that they were receiving. "Obviously, you kids know what happened before the fire. WE know that she-" He pointed an accusatory finger at Virgo. "- was raped. What we want to know is who did that, and also who started the fire."

Cancer stopped writing, refusing to subject Gemini to the topic. Gem happened to be looking at Virgo when she snapped.

Virgo stood up and glared at the police officers. "You want to know who did it? Fine. The man who was supposed to be looking after us and taking care of us. What's worse? He decided to put on a show for some of the other children at the orphanage. He bound Libra and Aquarius in the room across the hall and left the door open so that they would have to watch. I happen to also know that Gemini had been taking a nap in the next room over. When our other caretaker, that man's wife, found us, she snapped. Killing him. Then she went, got her Gengar, and cursed me. After that? I was unconscious until I awoke here in the hospital." Tears were freely streaming down her face as her brother turned her around and held her to him, shielding her as best he could from anything that wanted to harm her.

He turned a glare of his own onto the shocked police officers. "Are you happy now? Now that you made her dredge up the memories that she was trying so hard to bury?"

Thompson sat down heavily in a chair, tiredly rubbing his eyes. "Look, I don't want to do this to any of you. But it's my job and the sooner you give me your statements the sooner you can go back to forgetting what happened."

Slowly, the children told the officers what they remembered. When Gemini wrote how he had woken up to the sounds of Virgo being raped and mentally tortured, it was obvious that if HE hadn't been dead already then Officer Thompson would have tracked HIM down and cheerfully beaten HIM to a pulp.

When Pisces described how he had found the house on fire, Officer Williams interrupted.

"Are you runts kidding me? Are you seriously trying to convince us that you were cursed? And that you don't know how the fire started?"

Saj stood up and looked the younger of the cops in the eye. "Why don't you let us finish talking before you decide to call us liars? I happen to know how the fire started. So why don't you just wait for us to talk."

Williams just rolled his eyes and motioned for Pisces to continue.

After Cancer told his bit, Aries turned to look at Saj before glancing at Ris and Gem. "I don't know..."

Officer Williams started to get angry again, but before Saj could say anything, a piece of paper was thrust into his face.

_**We'll find out eventually.**_ He looked at the piece of paper that Ris had written on then looked to see the twins' determined faces. Gemini held up another piece of paper. _**You know we will.**_

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Go ahead and say what you saw, Ari."

And so she told how she had seen child after child massacred in the other rooms. There had been a total of fifty children residing at the Orphanage for Lonely Stars. Aries told the cops of how, as she was searching for people to get out of the burning house, she had opened several rooms that had only held the mutilated bodies of the other children.

Tears were slowly falling from Officer Thompson's eyes as he listened. Officer Williams's eyes were huge as Ari continued to describe what she had seen and it was obvious that he was having trouble keeping his lunch down.

When she was finished, Officer Thompson looked at Sagittarius. "That just leaves your bit, young man."

Saj took a few more deep breathes before he spoke. "After I got Riu and Li out of the house, I went back in. I searched as much of the first floor that I could. When I reached the front living room, it was completely engulfed in flames. I was able to make out three shapes in it though. I saw that man's Rapidash, the woman and the woman's Gengar. The Gengar and the woman weren't moving at all, while the Rapidash was thrashing about. It looked like it was trampling her as she burned. After I saw that, I quickly went upstairs to see if anyone was alive there. The first door I opened..." Saj paused, obviously fighting with his own stomach. "The bodies weren't even recognizable anymore. It was like each child had been turned inside out. From the room across the hall from that…that nightmare was Ursa. I don't know how she managed to hold on that long in the condition she was, but she was still alive when I reached her. But less than a minute after I found her, she was gone and I had to get out of the house before I was trapped. It's been three days since then and I still can't get the image of those...piles of mutilated flesh that just earlier that day I had been keeping an eye on as they played to make sure they didn't hurt themselves." He looked up and paused as Williams ran out of the room. He could be heard puking in the hall. Saj focused his gaze on Thompson. "The total amount of dead is around 37 dead children, two adults, and two pokemon. Would you like me to go into any more detail?"

"No." Thompson replied with a sigh, "Oh, Arceus no. I wish there was some way for me to help you get rid of those awful memories."

"What? Like curse us?" Scorpio mad a wry face. "I have to deal with one curse already, and that is one curse too many."

"Will you quit it with the curse joke already?" Officer Williams sneered as he reentered the room. "I get that you went through a horrible experience, but the only beings that can be cursed are pokemon. What you are dealing with is simply trauma. Eventually it will disappear."

The children were silent, looking at him with cold eyes though he didn't seem to notice.

Thompson did, though. "Williams, why don't you go ahead and take the report to the chief? I'll catch up in a bit." Once his partner had left, he turned back at the children, whose eyes remained just as chilly as before. "I apologize for him. I'd like to say that he isn't usually like that, but I would be lying. Now, I don't know if you children are actually cursed or not, but I do know that I want you to have this." He handed a card to Sagittarius. "It has my contact information, so that if any of you ever need anything, you can just call. I'll make sure to get some for the rest of you as well, so that once you are all settled at new orphanages-"

"Whoa. Stop. You were doing real well up to that point, sir. But none of us are going to another orphanage. I'll be 18 in less than a year, and really, most kids our ages are off on Pokémon journeys anyways, so I think we can now take care of ourselves without having to overcrowd another place. We'll look after each other and help each other." Saj was standing in front of the officer, completely sure in what he was saying. "I don't think any of us could stand being separated from the others after what just happened, and if we were sent off, we would undoubtedly be split into groups. Possibly even separating some of us kids who are actually related to each other. We don't want that."

Thompson looked the group over. They had drawn closer together at the mention of being split apart. "How many pokemon do you all have between you?"

Polaris quickly wrote a number down and held it up for the officer to see. _**4.**_

"Oh, my." he said as he rubbed his hand across his eyes. "Here, take these. That way, you can catch some more pokemon, because four is not enough pokemon for a group of thirteen." He handed a bag of poke balls to Saj. "I have to go make sure Williams gave an unbiased report and tell the chief not to bother getting people from the other orphanages down here." As he was closing the door, he tossed one last look and a few last words over his shoulder. "Don't forget to call and check in with me every once in a while. I may be able to help you more than you think. And I would like to know that you haven't died because I let your group out on your own."

And with that said, Officer Thompson left.

_The next day, the thirteen children had disappeared without a trace._

**XxXxX**

**Author's Note: I plan on posting something else for this story soon. It will not be the first chapter, but really an overview of the characters. At least, the important ones that I introduced in the prologue. As other major characters appear in the story, I will either put their overview in a Special Author's Note or at the end of the chapter. There will also be other information included in the next bit I post.**

**So far on this account, I have only posted stories that have had a rather light feel to them. This one is going to have some rather serious undertones, but there will also be plenty of fun.**

**This story is in a completely different story universe than Evolution of a Whisper. Just so you know.**

**I hope to hear your feedback on this story, and hope you stay tuned for more.**

**I am not a writer! I am a puppet controlled by fictional characters!**


	2. Character Descriptions 1

**Character Descriptions:**

**Aquarius:**

Age: 16

Gender: Girl

Sibling(s): Younger brother Pisces

Curse: Sight

Nickname: Riu

Description:

Eyes: Deep Sea Blue

Hair: Originally- Rich Dark Brown; Cursed- Silver

Height: 5'2"

General: She keeps her wavy hair twisted up in a bun, with one loose piece either hanging by her face or tucked behind one ear. Her arms bear similar scars to the ones that Libra has. She also has a scar on her cheek from where THE MAN struck her and broke the skin. On a ribbon the same color of her eyes she wears a water stone.

**Aries:**

Age: 11

Gender: Girl

Sibling(s): Older brothers Taurus and Cancer

Curse: N/A

Nickname: Ari

Description:

Eyes: Amber

Hair: Gold Blonde

Height: 4'6"

General: She keeps her straight hair shoulder length and loose, though she sometimes keeps it out of her face with star clips. She received a burn that scarred on her upper left arm. She has a small piece of amber on a golden ribbon around her neck.

**Cancer:**

Age: 14

Gender: Male

Sibling(s): Older brother Taurus; Younger sister Aries

Curse: N/A

Nickname: Ans

Description:

Eyes: Dark Gold

Hair: 5'4"

Height: Gold Blonde

General: He keeps his hair just long enough for it to not be considered a buzz cut. His left hand got burned in the fire. He is right handed. He always has a sketch book with him. He has a key chain of a crab that he hangs on one of his belt loops.

**Capricorn:**

Age: 13

Gender: Female

Sibling(s): N/A

Curse: Taste

Nickname: Rico

Description:

Eyes: Light Sky Blue

Hair: Originally- Bright Red; Cursed- Silver

Height: 5'

General: She keeps her straight hair cut stylishly short. Her back was barely burned and is now heavily scarred. She wears a blood red ribbon around her neck.

**Gemini:**

Age: 10

Gender: Male

Sibling(s): Older sister Libra; Younger twin sister Polaris

Curse: Hearing

Nickname: Gem

Description:

Eyes: Light Hazel

Hair: Originally- Blue Black; Cursed- Silver

Height: 4'4"

General: He keeps his hair cut above his ears but the girls often style it for him. He has a burn scar on the junction between his neck and right shoulder. On a chain around his neck is a small star piece.

**Leo:**

Age: 16

Gender: Male

Sibling(s): Younger sister Virgo

Curse: Smell

Nickname: N/A

Description:

Eyes: Golden Brown

Hair: Originally- Light Brown; Cursed- Silver

Height: 5' 8"

General: His wavy hair is shoulder length and is pulled back into a ponytail most of the time, though some of it escapes its bindings rather often. A large burn scar is on his right leg, just above the knee. He is always wearing a brown leather wrist band that Virgo got for him.

**Libra:**

Age: 17

Gender: Female

Sibling(s): Younger siblings Gemini and Polaris

Curse: Sight

Nickname: Li

Description:

Eyes: Deep Emerald Green

Hair: Originally- Blue Black; Cursed- Silver

Height: 5' 5"

General: She wears her hair in a long, loose braid that often drapes over one of her shoulders. Her burns criss cross both of her arms as she received them when the ropes binding her had burned. She has a pendent of two identical stars on a ribbon around her neck.

**Pisces:**

Age: 11

Gender: Male

Sibling(s): Older sister Aquarius

Curse: N/A

Nickname: Pise

Description:

Eyes: Teal

Hair: Rich Chocolate Brown

Height: 5'

General: He keeps his hair short in hopes of controlling his wild curls. He received a few spot burns in the fire that left scars. They are mostly on his arms. He has a single silver earring that is in the shape of a fish.

**Sagittarius:**

Age: 18

Gender: Male

Sibling(s): N/A

Curse: N/A

Nickname: Saj

Description:

Eyes: Dark Amethyst

Hair: Raven Black

Height: 6'1"

General: Wears his straight black hair down to his mid-back and held back in a low ponytail. Spiraling up his left arm is a list of the children that died in the Orphanage fire: Aquila; Altair; Alshain; Arcturus; Tarazed; Canis; Cignus; Draco; Grus; Hydra; Lupus; Lyra; Cassiopeia; Cephus; Circinus; Orion; Pavo; Pegasus; Pheonix; Ankaa; Pyxis; Tucana; Ursa; Volans; Auriga; Capella; Muphrid; Seginus; Chara; Kuma; Caph; Navi; Hadar; Agena; Mira; Gemma; Kin Yu. A small star separated each name. Ursa's name is underlined. The names reach just above his elbow. His right arm is covered with scars from the fire. He is built like a swimmer.

**Scorpio:**

Age: 12

Gender: Male

Sibling(s): N/A

Curse: Smell

Nickname: Scorp

Description:

Eyes: Red Brown

Hair: Originally- Reddish Brown; Cursed- Silver

Height: 4' 10"

General: Wears his hair cut short, as he dislikes the fact that it has turned silver. He has a silver chain around his neck with a scorpion pendent that he received as a gift. He has a mole under his left eye. He has burn scars on his lower left leg.

**Taurus:**

Age: 15

Gender: Male

Sibling(s): Younger siblings are Cancer and Aries

Curse: Smell

Nickname: Rus

Description:

Eyes: Caramel

Hair: Originally- Dark Blonde; Cursed- Silver

Height: 5' 7"

General: His straight hair hangs just past ears. On the back of his right shoulder are burn scars he received in the fire. He is built like a football player.

**Virgo:**

Age: 15

Gender: Female

Sibling(s): Older brother Leo

Curse: Touch

Nickname: Vir

Description:

Eyes: Chocolate Brown

Hair: Originally- Light Brown; Cursed- Silver

Height: 5' 3"

General: She keeps her wavy hair loose and long enough to reach her waist. Her chest is spotted with burn scars. She has earrings that are shaped like lions. She uses them to tease her big brother. She is always wearing long sleeve shirts.

**Polaris:**

Age: 10

Gender: Female

Sibling(s): Twin brother Gemini; Older sister Libra

Curse: Voice

Nickname: Ris

Description:

Eyes: Light Hazel

Hair: Originally- Blue Black; Cursed- Silver

Height: 4'4"

General: Wears her straight hair in two braids that reach her waist, though the others often play with her hair. She has a burn scar at the junction between her neck and left shoulder. She had a chain bracelet with a single star pendent.

**xXxXx**

**Author's Note: These descriptions will be developed more in the story. This is just a basic overview of the thirteen orphans. Okay, okay. It's mainly to help me keep all of the characters straight. This is my first time writing a story with so many original characters. Please be patient with me. Also, do you think that the rating is too high? I am considering changing it to T. Bad idea? Good idea?**

**I am not a writer! I am a puppet controlled by fictional characters!**


	3. Chapter 1

**The Silver Silence**

**Chapter 1**

**Author's Note: I decided to switch this story's rating to T. it will be dark in places, but I do not think I will write anything more graphic than what was in the prologue.**

**Key:**

**XxXxX**- point of view change

**xXxXx**- simple line break/ time jump

_Memories/ dreams_

_xxxxx- Time lapse in memories_

_**Written words**_

_**Psychic**_

**Onwards we go!**

**xXxXx**

_My little songbird… No one else can have you… You will always be mine…_

_MINE!_

The young girl jerked awake, coughing up blood from her attempts at screaming. Looking around she saw that no else was awake yet. Quietly, she slipped out of the room and padded over to the bathroom so that she could wash away the evidence of her nightmare.

It had been almost one year since the orphanage had burned down.

She looked into the mirror and stared at her hair. One week after the curses had been placed they had awoken to find their hair had turned silver. Even her and her siblings' blue black hair had turned silver.

Soft paws quietly thudded on the floor, alerting her to the presence of her Teddiursa, Kokab. The little bear Pokémon came over and gave her hug while he looked her over worriedly.

"Ris." A soft voice called out, causing the girl to jump.

The guilty look on her face at being caught had the tall man sighing and gathering her in his arms.

"Did you have another nightmare?" A small nod.

Polaris glanced behind Sagittarius and saw her Gallade, Yildun. She gave him a little glare, which did not go unnoticed by Saj.

"Don't be mad at Yildun. He's supposed to go get someone when you have one of your fits." Saj gently brushed Ris's hair out of her face. "I want to know when you have one."

_**I don't think I will be to get to sleep again for awhile.**_ Polaris sent the thought through her Psychic-type, the only way she could communicate without writing the words down.

"Do you want to go look at the stars for a bit then?" Saj asked. "That way, I won't wake anyone up by talking."

Ris nodded, and they went to the balcony of the house the group was staying at.

Ris leaned against Saj and looked up into the starry sky while Kokab curled up nearby and Yildun stood near the door and kept watch on the forest surrounding the building.

"You want to talk about your nightmare?" Saj asked as he watched the stars. He gently stroked the child's silver locks.

Polaris watched as a star shot across the sky. _**I heard HER voice.**_

Saj automatically drew Ris closer to him. "It's okay. It's okay. SHE can't get you."

_**I know, but…**_ Ris shifted her eyes to another area of the sky. _**But it made me miss Ursa.**_

"Hey now. You remember…" Quietly, Saj began to recount tales of the happier times. Times back before the Tragedy. When Ursa was still around to be the big sister of all the children, to be the mother that the younger ones needed that SHE was unable to be.

A few minutes into the stories, he could tell that Ris was asleep again. He continued speaking because he could tell that his words were being heard by another by a different means.

Soon, another small form was curled into his side.

_**Did Ris wake you up when she got up, Gem?**_ Saj shifted so that he could rest a hand on the boy's forehead.

_**No. The bed got colder. When I got up, Alhena told me where she had gone and told me what you were saying…**_

_**Do you want me to continue?**_

_**Would you?**_ Gemini reached over Saj and clasped his twin's hand. _**It always helps us to hear those stories…**_

_**Well then…**_ Saj continued his stories, calming the boy.

**xXxXx**

Sagittarius carried Polaris while Alhena carried Gemini along beside him, close enough that the slumbering twins' hands did not separate. Yildun carried the sleeping Kokab along behind them. Yildun quickly got in front to hold the door to Saj's room open for the two with the twins to get through.

Gently, they laid the twin's on the bed. Kokab was placed on Pokémon bed nearby. Yildun then settled by the door, ever protective of his small Trainer and her twin. Alhena left to be with the twin's older sister Libra, so that she would not panic when she awoke to find them gone.

Sagittarius settled next to the twins, gently covering them with the blanket. As he softly stroked the silver locks, he couldn't help remembering some of the stories that he refused to tell anyone yet.

"_Hey, Saj…If anything happens to me, you're gonna take care of all the other kids right?" The young woman lying down on the creek's bank spoke. Her short curly brown hair framed her face as her sharp brown eyes looked at him._

_He laughed. "And just what is supposed to happen to you, huh?" The raven haired youth stretched. "Ursa, just what are you talking about?"_

_Ursa sat up and flicked a pebble into the creek. "I don't know. It's just this feeling I have. Like something bad is gonna happen soon. And you didn't answer my question."_

_Saj hesitated for a moment, knowing that Ursa's feelings were usually accurate before shrugging and standing. "You know that I would never abandon the others. Besides, it was you who wanted to go and find a big house for the kids to stay in once they were old enough to leave the orphanage. I already promised to help you with that. Now, come on. We have to get going. You wanted to get a Teddiursa for little Ris right? We already got a Bidoof for Gem and we need to catch a little bear before their birthday gets here."_

_Ursa smiled, putting her feeling aside. "It's too bad that the Shiny ones are green. If they were black then they would be perfect for her."_

Saj growled at himself. "Why the hell didn't I listen to her back then? Would anything have changed? Could more of the kids have been saved?" Saj looked down at the silver hair he was stroking. "Could the curses have been avoided?"

_Scorpio was staring at the mirror. "So not only do we have to know we are cursed, but the entire world has to know as well?" Furiously he grabbed a pair of scissors and cut away some of his know silver hair._

_Aries quickly grabbed the scissors. "Stop that. I'll cut it for you, just stop!"_

_Capricorn made a sound somewhere between a sob and a giggle. "I wonder if that Officer Williams saw us now if he would believe we were cursed."_

_A few chuckles of dark amusement sounded in the room of the inn they had gathered in._

_Scorp furiously rubbed his eyes as he tried to stay still for Ari. "Saj, what are we going to do now? We each have a bit of money, but not enough to survive."_

"_I don't think most of us want to do much battling." Cancer quietly spoke._

"_Or that a couple of us could battle at all." Aquarius piped up._

_Saj crossed his arms and thought for awhile. "First thing first, we need to get at least four Psychic types."_

"_Why Psychic?" Leo asked from his position beside Virgo._

"_So that the twins and Libra can communicate when none of us are around, and so that Libra and Aquarius can walk around with a little more ease, and so that Virgo can know when someone is touching her." Saj explained his reasoning. "Two for the twins and Li, one for Riu, and one for Vir. I think that is where we should start. After that, we can figure out the rest."_

_A look of determination came across Leo's face. "Definitely."_

_xxxxx_

_Virgo was shielding Ris and Gem as best she could while the twins protected the three Ralts they had found._

_In front of them was a group of Trainers intent on torturing the young Pokémon._

"_Leo! Rus! Saj!" Virgo finally shouted, calling the three young men that were the rest of their search group to their location._

_The leader of the group sneered. "Calling for help? Just hand over those Pokémon and we MIGHT leave you alone."_

"_Maybe." Another of the group, who seemed to be second in command, said as he looked Virgo over._

_A large hand claps him on the shoulder. He and the rest of the group turn around, while the leader just looked over his shoulder._

_Leo was glaring and the only thing stopping him from pounding 'Trainers' into the ground with his bare fists was Saj's hand on his shoulder._

_Taurus was standing a few steps in front of the two with a vicious grin on his face._

_Saj gave a little smile. "You might want to rethink trying to do anything to those three—oh, excuse me—those six. We won't go easy on you."_

"_What, you don't want to share her?" The second in command said, leering over his shoulder at Virgo._

_Saj face grew cold as he saw shivers go up and down Virgo's spine and simply removed his hand from Leo's shoulder._

_Before anyone could blink Leo had punched the man in the jaw and knocked him to the ground. "Don't you even DARE look at my sister like that you piece of garbage."_

_Another of the group started forward but was stopped by Taurus._

"_Now now. He may have gotten the first strike, but you see, all of us have a good amount of pent up stress. So unless you want to let us vent all that stress on you, I suggest you leave."_

_Suddenly a paper airplane hit Taurus's head. He unfolded it and quickly read what was written before handing it over to Saj._

_Saj sighed after he read it and turned to look at Ris who had thrown it. "Is this true?" When she nodded, anger grew in his eyes. "Before any of you leave, I suggest you had over your Trainer licenses. Torturing Pokémon is against the law and we sure as hell are not going to let you get away with it."_

"_You ain't cops! What can you do about it?" The leader shouted at them, furious._

_Suddenly, the one that Leo had hit stood up, threw his license on the ground and ran._

_Leo picked up the license and gave it to Saj. "Well, at least one of you has the right idea."_

_One of the others in the group spoke up. "Dude, there's nothing we can do. Just give them you license and let's get out of here, guys." He handed Taurus his license and left, the rest of the group soon following._

_The leader growled but gave up, throwing his license down on the ground and glaring at everyone and everything as he left._

_Saj bent down and picked up the license. "Guess we should report these guys to Officer Thompson, huh?"_

_The boys looked over and saw the girls and Gem checking that the Ralts were alright. _

_When the three tried to move away, one of the Pokémon latched on to each of them. Saj came over and knelt down._

"_Do the three of you want to come with us?" He asked._

_**Yes.**_

"The three of you really got attached to the twins and Virgo, didn't you?" Saj quietly asked Yildun.

_**Is that a problem?**_ The Gallade wondered, slight worry tingeing his thoughts.

Saj smiled. "No, not at all. It's a relief actually. They protected you back then, and now you protect them."

_**Until we die.**_

"Please don't talk like that. It could upset them."

_**Do you need help getting to sleep, Sagittarius?**_

"No. I'm fine. I just need to think about some things right now."

"_Hey, Saj? I wonder if it would be possible to have the curses removed." Pisces's teal eyes were sad._

"_I don't know." Saj reached over and ruffled the short brown curls of the young boy. "Did something happen?"_

"_Polaris was so happy playing with Kokab and Alruccabah earlier that she forgot about the curse and tried to sing." Pise gritted his teeth. "It's been six months! Riu is still waking up with nightmares and I often hear Leo comforting Virgo in the middle of the night. How many times had Alhena or Yildun come and gotten you to check on Gemini and Ris? I didn't see much and I wasn't cursed, so I don't have bad nightmares, but I just know that if we could get rid of these curses that the nightmares would get better too! That we could finally start to put things behind us."_

_Saj gave the boy a hug and held him as he quietly cried. When the second youngest boy had calmed, Saj let him go. "Then let's do that. We've been traveling around for six months now looking for someplace to stay, how about instead we start looking for a way to break the curses? I have no clue what we can do, but we can certainly look."_

**xXxXx**

"Saj? Are Gemini and Polaris in here?" Libra asked from the doorway. Alhena stood behind her, having led her to the room.

"Yeah. They're still sleeping." Saj had been watching the sunrise out of the room's window.

"Yildun," Libra spoke to the Pokémon she knew would be there, "did Saj get any sleep after the twins went back to sleep?"

_**No.**_

"And now I know how Ris feels when you come and get me when she has a fit." Saj could sense the amusement the two Psychic types felt when he said that. "I'm fine Li, just wanted to think about a few things."

"You mean about how to get rid of the curses. Saj, you do this every time that Ris has a night fit. Maybe there is no way to break them."

"Maybe not, but ever since we decided to look, all of the nightmares have lessened. Instead of Ris waking up trying to scream every night, it's now only once a week. Virgo has stopped flinching every time a boy so much as looks at her and you and Riu have stopped holing yourselves up in whatever place we are staying." Saj clutched at the names that were tattooed on his arm as he spoke. "Even if we can't find the way, and there has to be some way, at least we'll continue looking until the nightmares stop."

Libra sighed. "Alright. I'm going to go see if I can help prevent Leo from burning breakfast again. He's the best cook now, but with his sense of smell gone…"

Alhena guided the blind young woman to the kitchen while Saj went to wake the twins.

**XxXxX**

Polaris clutched her brother's hand as they walked through Ecruteak City. They had arrived in the city a couple of days ago, and as the older children of the group did other things, the two youngest were off exploring. They were staying away from burned out tower, as they had had their lifetime fill of burned buildings a year ago. They wandered over to the pond in the north east corner and watched the fish swimming in the clear waters.

After a while, they looked around and saw gate. Curiosity seizing their young minds, they decided to explore. As they peeked at the buildings, they were careful not to intrude.

"May we help you?" A voice said from behind them, causing Ris to jump.

Gem looked at her in worry and slight panic. While their Pokémon were resting in their poke balls, the twins were still able to communicate. _**Ris? What's wrong?**_

In answer, Ris turned around to face the one who had spoken. Two Sages stood there looking down at the twins with interest.

"Are the two of you lost?" One of them asked, silently noticing the way that Gem kept glancing from them and Ris.

Ris shook her head as she told her brother what was being said and before releasing his hand to grab the notepad that she had in her pocket and writing a message for the Sages. _**We were exploring. Are we not allowed to be here? If so, we are sorry, we did not know and did not see any signs.**_

The Sages read the message and looked the children over again before speaking. "Child, you cannot speak?" At her conformation, the Sage continued. "And he cannot hear?" Again, she confirmed their guess.

The Sages looked at each other before deciding and smiling done at the children. "Would the two of you like to see the Bell Tower?"

_**Bell Tower?**_

"It is a very special place. Not very many people are allowed to go there, but we think it will be okay if you do."

Ris looked at Gem as the silently talked. When Gem nodded, she wrote another message. _**As long as it does not get the two of you in trouble, we would really like to.**_

The two Sages led the twins towards the Bell Tower, smiling gently as the children expressed awe at the beautiful trees lining the path. When the ten story tower came into view, they heard a small gasp from the boy, while the girl's eye grew extremely wide.

The children were looking the outside of the tower over when someone exited the building.

"Oh, Gym Leader Morty, we did not know that you were here." One of the Sages spoke to the man, catching Ris's attention, which brought Gem's along as well.

"I was showing a visitor something that may help him. I did not expect the two of you to be here at this time though." The Ecruteak Gym Leader replied.

"We found these two children exploring out front and thought that it would be alright if we showed them the tower. It is not causing any trouble is it?" The other Sage explained.

Morty turned and saw the children. Kneeling down to their level he greeted them. "Hello. My name is Morty. You are?"

Ris was reaching for her notepad when suddenly she froze, a look of complete terror crossing her face. A loud, distressed whine came from Gem and the three adults could feel the panic rolling off of the twins.

The twins' Pokémon sensed their distress and amplified it to alert the nearest person of their group.

Suddenly, Saj came out of the tower. "Gem, Ris! What's—shit." He ran over and gathered the panicking children in his arms. Over his shoulder he spoke to Morty. "I'm sorry, but could you please return your Gengar to its poke ball?"

"Oh, of course." Quickly Morty complied.

As soon as the Gengar was out of sight, the twins calmed a great deal.

"Shh, it's okay. It wasn't HERS. It's okay. Calm down, it's okay." Saj quietly soothed Gem and Ris. Soon the stress got to them and they fell into a restless sleep.

Saj quickly released Alhena and Yildun so that they could carry the twins.

He turned to face the three men, sadness deeply etched into his face. "I'm sorry—"

"Are they some of the children you were telling me about?" Morty asked.

Saj closed his eyes and sighed. "Yes. They are the youngest two. The boy lost his hearing. The girl lost her voice."

One of the Sages spoke up. "Lost them how?"

"Cursed by a Gengar."

"That would explain their reaction. I am sorry, I did not realize—" Morty began.

"There is no way you could have known, so…" Saj scrubbed his face with his hand for a moment. "I'm sorry; I should get them back—"

"Saj? Syrma sensed that there was something wrong with Gem and Ris. Is everything okay?" Virgo and Leo stood where the path ended with Virgo's worried Gardevoir standing behind them.

"Virgo, Leo. Could the two of you take the twins back to the inn? I need to finish up here." Saj saw the way Leo was quietly, but intensely staring at the three men. "Leo. I'll explain what happened later." He turned to Virgo. "They might be a little panicked when they wake up. You might want to find Libra before then."

The two nodded and left along with Gem, Ris, and their Pokémon.

Morty had a thoughtful look on his face. "Those two were also cursed, were they not? The silver hair is a side effect of it, correct?"

Saj sighed again. "Yes. I'm trying to find a way to break all of the curses. No one I have spoken to has had any ideas though. Some of the children are about ready to give up."

"But you are not." One of the Sages stated simply.

"No. If a single Gengar could cause these curses, then there MUST be something that could reverse it." Saj replied emphatically.

"What about Arceus? Or another legendary?" A voice said from the path.

Saj spun around to see who spoke.

A young man, seemingly only a couple years older than Saj stood there. He wore an officer's uniform that seemed rather new. He stood around an inch taller than Saj, with dark navy blue spiky hair. The most notable of his features were his eyes. One was indigo, the other was turquoise.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you or to eavesdrop. My name is Alexan Wood." He held out his hand to Saj with a smile.

"Sagittarius." Saj shook the offered hand but was distracted by what the man had said.

When Alexan realized that Saj was not going to say anything else, he shrugged and relaxed. "I really didn't mean to listen in. Officer Jenny told me to find the Gym Leader and let him know that a challenger had arrived."

"Thank you Officer Wood. But what made you suggest that?" Morty asked, interested in the young man's thought processes.

"Well, if the problem was caused by a Pokémon, and humans are unable to reverse it, then surely a Pokémon of a higher rank would be able to. Arceus is the strongest Pokémon, so he would make the most sense. However he would also be the hardest to find, so it would be more realistic to look for others." Alexan replied, shrugging one shoulder.

Suddenly, Saj let out a low groan and rubbed his hand over his eyes. "I feel like an idiot."

Alexan tilted his head. "Why?"

"Because I had been trying to figure something out for six months and it was practically staring me in the face."

"What do you mean?" One of the Sages asked.

Saj only shook his head. "I'm sorry, I need to go and talk with the others. Thank you for your help." With a slight bow he left.

"Alexan, you are somewhat of an expert on legendaries and where they have been rumored to have been seen, correct?" Morty asked.

"They interest me, so as a hobby I track the stories, yes. Why?" The young officer asked, slightly wary of the Gym Leader's tone.

"Oh, nothing."

**xXxXx**

"Saj. You have some explaining to do." Libra stood in front of the door to the room she shared with Gem and Ris. "Why were my younger siblings brought back here asleep, with panic rolling off of them?"

"Let's gather everyone so I explain it to everyone all at once." Saj followed Libra into the room.

The other eleven children were gathered in the room, Gem and Ris were just waking up.

"Hey, you two feeling a bit better now?" Saj sat on the bed next to the twins.

Gem immediately grabbed Saj and buried his face in his chest, trembling slightly. Saj wrapped his arms around the small boy and soothingly rubbed circles on his back. Saj looked over at Ris. She was staring at her hands. When Saj lifted her chin, he saw the remnants of fear in her eyes.

"It's okay. The Gengar is gone and it isn't going to hurt you." As Ris joined her brother in the comforting embrace, Saj looked at the others. "I was talking to the Gym Leader earlier. Apparently two of the Sages found them exploring and decided that it would be okay if they saw the Bell Tower and escorted them back there. Morty had been showing me something when he sensed someone outside. He walked out and his Gengar was out of its poke ball at the time."

"Which is why Gemini and Polaris panicked. Gengars…" Capricorn realized.

_**Gengars remind us of THEN. They scare us.**_ Polaris mentally spoke through Yildun. _**We didn't cause any problems for you, did we Saj? We…we didn't mean too!**_

"I know. It's all right. There was nothing we could do." Saj gave them a gentle squeeze and took a deep breath. "But I did learn something today. After Gem, Ris, Vir, and Leo left; a police officer came to tell Morty he had a challenger. He accidently overheard a bit of our conversation and threw out an idea on how to get rid of the curses." Saj looked all the other children in the face. "I think it just might work."

Aries rubbed the scar on her upper left arm. "What is it Saj? Don't leave us hanging."

Saj smiled at the young girl. He glanced again at the other children. Even Gem and Ris had leaned back to look at him.

"Legendaries."

**xXxXx**

**Author's Note: Here's the official first chapter of The Silver Silence and the character profile of Alexan Wood is below.**

**xXxXx**

Alexan Wood

Occupation: Police Officer, rookie

Age: 20

Hair Color: Navy blue

Eye Color: left eye-indigo; right eye- turquoise

Height: 6' 2"

Pokémon:

Sableye- (f) Diamond

Crobat- (m) Rook

Parasect- (f) Rose

Slowking- (m) King

Bisharp- (m) Bishop

Glaceon- (f) Amalia

Info: He is a rookie cop that is currently stationed in Ecruteak. His hair is worn short with lightly gelled spikes.

**xXxXx**

**Author's note continues: Now, let me tell you one thing. While legendaries are important to the storyline…you know what? You'll find that out later on in the story.**

**Feel free to point out any mistakes that I made. This chapter is un-betad.**

**Please tell me what you think.**

**I am not a writer! I am a puppet controlled by fictional characters!**


End file.
